Among famous inventors, Leo H. Sternbach may not immediately leap to mind.

But this May in Akron, Ohio, Dr. Sternbach, who is 96, will be inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. He holds more than 240 patents, but perhaps his most famous invention, in collaboration with colleagues, is a chemical compound called diazepam, better known by its brand name, Valium.

One of the earliest benzodiazepines, Valium was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1963 as a treatment for anxiety, and it would become not only the country's best-selling drug, but an American cultural icon.

Referred to knowingly in Woody Allen movies, enshrined as "Mother's Little Helper" in the Rolling Stones song, condemned as poisonous in best-selling books, Valium reached the height of its popularity in 1978, a year when Americans consumed 2.3 billion of the little yellow pills.

But by the 1980's its reputation for creating abuse and withdrawal problems was well known, and the new selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors like Prozac were widely considered better treatments for anxiety and panic disorders.

Still, the benzodiazepines - there are now more than a dozen others available besides Valium - never disappeared. They are still widely prescribed and, in the view of many doctors, extremely effective in treating not only anxiety and panic disorder, but bipolar illness, insomnia, catatonia and alcohol and drug withdrawal.

"The key is to use them correctly," said Dr. Eric Hollander, director of clinical psychopharmacology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York.

Using them correctly is not so simple. Benzodiazepines cause sedation, which can be either therapeutic or a side effect, depending on the patient's ailment. Dr. Steven Roose, professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University, said that for anxiety the "S.S.R.I.'s are still the first-line treatment, but they can initially cause an exaggeration of anxiety symptoms."

"Pretreating with benzos can prevent this," Dr. Roose continued, citing Ativan, which "can be used for the sleep problems that S.S.R.I.'s can cause, although it should be used only for a brief term."

The use of benzodiazepines in drug withdrawal may seem paradoxical, since they can be addictive themselves.

But the newer longer-acting benzodiazepines like Klonopin may have fewer withdrawal problems than the older drugs because they are metabolized more slowly and leave the body gradually.

Even though they don't usually induce euphoria, benzopiazepines can become street drugs of abuse for their sedating effect, and some cocaine users like them to "chill out."

The benzodiazepines can also impair motor function, especially during the first weeks of treatment, and cause temporary memory impairment. The drugs do not help with depression, so those with both anxiety and depression, a common combination, may be better off with the double effect of the S.S.R.I.'s.

People who use alcohol as self-medication for anxiety are not good candidates for benzodiazepines, which can be deadly when combined with drinking.

Perhaps most notoriously, there is the danger of addiction, but some believe that may be exaggerated.

"My view is that the risk of dependency and tolerance is overblown," said Dr. Michael Craig Miller, assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard and editor in chief of The Harvard Mental Health Letter. "People being treated for anxiety are not looking for a high; they're looking for relief from their anxiety symptoms, and if benzos give it to them, that's good."

benzo's can be the worst and hardest drug to get off of and then you can get severe protracted withdrawl....much worse than Heroin.....I know cause some jerk put me on Klonopin about 14 years ago cause of some situational panic attacks. Well i moved alot so just stayed on them......when going off several years ago, I almost died and suffered severe neurological, adreanal, brain and immune system problems. In bed for almost a year and 3 years to recover. I finally found websites that others went thru this severe protracted withdrawl......this crap is nothing to fool with if on for longer than a few weeks.......

FWIW I understand that some people experience adrenal exhaustion during withdrawal from these drugs. It is not commonly diagnosed as the symptoms are nebulous but some think it is fairly common especially if the person has been under long term stress.

I've been on Ativan for 3 weeks now, prescribed by my doctor as a way to get off of Effexor. He prescribed 2-3 a day, but most days I'm only doing one, mostly to help me sleep. Boy, do I sleep solidly when I do. But out of fear of addiction, I'm trying to avoid more use than that.

I was taken off like any other drug in a hospital....even addictionologist know nothing about protracted wd....after 3 months off I was so bad i couldn't talk on phone, cook etc....I found people on yahoo groups that went thru this and there are some major posters out there.....it basically shocked my whole body, I couldn't function, the first year if I walked to mailbox that was it for the day...this stuff effects the HPA (hypothalamus pituitary adrenal) axis. Most people can come off with little problems but if you are in the 15% that don't, Heroin is a Sunday school picnic...there are hundreds of people just in US that have had their lives destroyed but this shit.....they know much more about it in England and Australia.....I am good friends with the woman who brought this to light more in the US.....this stuff alot of the time starts to be like toxic so it can start effecting you while you are on it, getting weaker and weaker, more hostile, more anxiety, poor judgment, weight gain or loss......I had over 59 symptoms and let me tell you......I know people who went thru this and had cancer one time in their life......They would chose cancer again before this......it was worse than being in war and I DO NOT JEST

Three years ago, I was taken to the emergency room for a back injury. After three hours of morphine (iv) not even putting a dent in the pain, the attending m.d. gave me valium and toradol mixed together. Within 25 min. 80% of the pain was gone. Within 45 min. I was pain free and released the next day. I realize some have addiction problems, but I found valium (mixed with toradol) to be nothing short of a miracle.

ativan and xanax are the shortest acting......i'm not trying to scare anyone but being on this crap longer than a couple of weeks is playing with fire.......google benzodiapzipine protracted withdrawl and I can give you sites that you would read horror stories on......and I mean horror stories......not what you see on tv when an addict is kicking.....i mean ruined devastated lives cause you can't function......not everyone goes thru this but if you are in the 15% that do.....you will never, and I mean never go thru anything worse.........not even 9/11 was worse than this

yeah.....but soon you will build tolerance and up regulate your receptor sites, need more and possibly it can become toxic......this is NOT a long term solution......I don't want to ponificate, but I'm an expert in this stuff and know more about it than most doctors.....unless someone is in the less than 1% that actually have a chemical imbalance, this stuff is trouble at least long term

Valium is known to be much less effective when given IM (into the muscle), but works well orally, intraveneously, and even rectally. In fact, many kids with seizure disorders have a syringe of Diastat at home (valium that is given rectally). The rectal route is almost as well absorbed as the IV route. The problem with IV valium is of the high risk of respiratory arrest. However, I'm glad the combo of Valium and Toradol worked for you.

15
posted on 02/24/2005 5:20:25 PM PST
by Born Conservative
(I need a new tagline. Any suggestions?)

I am sincerely glad you made it through okay. I have read the horror stories of protracted benzo withdrawal. This is coming from somebody who has been through full blown opiate withdrawal before, and despite how agonizing that was (so painful, you can't even imagine it unless you've lived it) I was always deathly afraid of (and thankfull that it wasn't) benzos because of what I knew about them.

I can't beleive the irresponsiblity of doctors who let that happen to a patient. Some doctors are just plain ignorant about the drugs they give.

Hope that you're feeling better now, and I wish you the best, I honestly do. Even though opiates is a whole different ball game, I know what it's like to feel something that there are just no words to describe and nobody could even come close to understanding unless they'd lived it.

And with opiates you start to feel better in a few days, I shudder to think of going through something like that for MONTHS.

I'm curious about your experience. My sister is on Klonopin right now (1 mg 2 x daily), and her psychiatrist just upped it to 1 at mid day if she "needs it." This is in conjunction with clozaril and lamictal. Her thyroid was destroyed after over a decade on Lithium for Bi-polar with schizophrenic affective disorder.

It's no picnic living with her and my gyn. gave me ativan this summer - a fifteen pill Rx with half left. My sister is at the point that she can hide her own Easter eggs. We used to be able to have discussions, but her train of thought is constantly derailed these days.

What do you think, is it possible the benzo drugs are contributing to her anxiety? And what would be the alternative, since without the drugs she's self destructive?

18
posted on 02/24/2005 5:47:10 PM PST
by Dutchgirl
(If you can't take [the blogoshere], you shouldn't be thinking aloud for a living. -Peggy Noonan)

thanks Bones......and opiates are recognized as the 2nd worse wd......but you are right......it was months of agony, I couldn't walk around the block for 10 months, and it took me 18 months to go back to the gym (and I was a natural bodybuilder)....I'm glad you realize the horrors of this sh**. I don't blame those that haven't lived it but like you said, it makes other withdrawls look like a day at the beach.....and it can go on for months and years cause the central nervous system is the slowest healing in the body....I am 90% now and thanks........I appreciate it, but it took alot of work on my part to get her, and yes, I blame the drug companies and the idiot doctors who throw pills out and not tell anyone about the risks......glad you made it too........

I was on only 1 mg of Klonopin for 12 years.....in hindsight, it started to effect me negatively after about 8 but becuase it was so slow and insideious, you don't know it is the drug......near the end, I was hostile, anxious, obsessed, lacked judgement etc....just like a drunk since they hit the same receptor sites.....it took me a long time to recover....i worked hard......guess what....I have no anxiety, or anything after recovering.......it was the damned pills that made me sick and I now have medical proof of that..

you are right and if they do work, they will stop working. I tried to ween off with doctors but they don't know crap about it....it got so bad, I went to detox center and did cold turkey....the addictionologist there knew nothing about protracted withdrawl....the shit hit the fan....and it got worse after 4 months where I almost went insane and lost all functions almost.....this crap should never ever be cold turkey...this stuff has happened to hundreds at least in the US...but you never hear of it cause doctors don't know about it or don't see it or cant diagnose it. MOst people go back on cause they can't stand it....

Excellent thread- thanks to all who openly discuss their experiences with these drugs.

Many years ago I was given an MAO inhibitor (nardil) for over a year. When I came off it I thought I was truly losing it- felt psychotic for about a month...finally it went away- but withdrawl was sheer agony. These are life-saving drugs when we need them- but long term effects are so important to understand.

I think I was becoming addicted to hydrocodone in 2001 after a major accident where an illegal alien ran a head light and hit the little car I was riding in. Back and knee problems. Major constipation in 3 weeks. This wasn't working for me. I told the doc to prescribe nothing more than Darvocet and Robaxin for me. I also had Ativan 1mg to help me sleep.

I don't understand the addiction to hydrocodone and big opiates because my body rejects them. Ativan was good for sleep for 2 days because I slept well later without them. I didn't get high from any of this stuff. All I need now is about 2 Darvocets for breakthrough pain. It's up to 4 months now after 3.5 years.

good if you got off...hydrocordone is very addictive. Benzo's don't make you high though I know some people like them cause they can give the soothing effects of alcohol but bind much tighter to the receptor sites.....everyone's brain is different and if it likes the stuff, it will battle the hell out of you when you want off

I have valium and robinol (an atropine derived antispasmodic) for very painful spasms of my common bile duct...I don't take the valium often, but when the pain gets up into heart attack type levels, boy, it can make the difference between hurting like no tomorrow or no pain.

Can't take narcotics for this pain - soon as it wears off, the duct spasms worse!

proper diet and exercise are a good start and possibly some cognitive behavioral therapy are best for most mild anxiety's......many people don't realize how diet can effect this along with alcohol and nicotine.....there are many good books and manuals at the bookstore or Amazon that can help you with this.......medicine for 95% of this is just a short term crutch cause it addresses the symptoms but not the cause

you are lucky it only lasted a month or so.....with benzo's it can go on for months and the damage take years to correct, plus MAO inhibiters can be deadly if you eat the wrong foods........glad you are off......

no kidding......I knew they were addictive but didn't know the long term effects......and I was only having panic during a situational time.....not a panic disorder...I wished I were dead for almost a year and took two more years for my central nervous system and adrenals to heal. Doctors should know more about the risks.......idiots....

Hell, over twenty years ago when I was in the hospital for four months, I was taking percodan every four hours. When they released me, they gave me nothing. I sure appreciated the opioid withdrawals. I thought thing were different now.

In the mid 70s I abused Valium I loved the high often tacking over 100 mgs the little yellow pill has 5 mgs. We were able to buy them on 14th street in lower Manhattan for about a buck for 10mgs. Today 30 years later I suffer anxiety. But am terrified I would take more then prescribed

thanks.......I guess they don't use benzo's as much anymore though in the 70s and 80s they handed 'em out like candy....makes opiate addiction look like a day in the park but glad you made it.....what I went thru was analagous to a prisoner of war camp and I AM NOT exaggerating.....those who have gone thru this would tell you that life after protracted benzo withdrawl is a piece of cake.....

long term after effects of benzo's can last a very long time....glad you survived...if you read some of my other posts on this.....I went thru the most horrific protracted withdrawl that left me incapacitated and didn't recover for over 3 years

Hydro addicts were looking for the cancer pain drug in the northeast a few years ago- I forgot the name. I don't know why except that was supposed to be like heroin for old people. I read reports here that houses of old people were getting burglarized in Maine just for this chemical. Do you remember that chemical name?

I guess I'm not an addict because I had to take them until my body rejected them. I never got "high". I think my body rejected them all along in 2001. As for diazepines, 48 hours max for me before feeling somewhat weird after sleeping well.

I must reveal to you that during my stoner days a long time ago, my "buddies" and I took some Meleril pills. That was the last time I took drugs for recreational use. If they were meant for psychotic patients, we were feeling that way for a day. NO MORE after that.

I don't know the name of the drug that was like herion but like you said, any psychotropic drug can lead to havoc..just look at the SSRI's now in the news that they say can lead to suicide in teens.....I have reports and such on this and books that talk about his 5 years ago, but the drug companies hold all this stuff back.....I'm not as familiar with opiates......and there is a diffence between being an addict and physically dependent....I was not an addict cause it didn't make me high and there was no psychosocial behavior around the drug......i took it cause the doctor said I should.....I learned my lesson from that and he was dead wrong.........your body rejected them cause some people have paradoxical effects or they can become toxic which is different than "tolerance"

well in that case they are ok.....just like they use benzo's in alcohol withdrawl...in that case it is fine to get thru the initial days and so you don't have seizures or in the hospital if one is seizing, they administer ativan. I have no problem with those uses. It is the long term use for anxiety or sleep problems that they can be devastating

thank you......definitely seizures are a part of benzo wd, that is why they put you on anti convulsants when detoxing.....thank god you didn 't have severe protracted wd like me....you would know it if you had.....

I took Ativan recently and once took a valium a very long time ago. One for a use and another for no constructive use. They don't do anything for me except the Ativan was correctly prescribed. The valium was during my HS pot-smoking years and didn't make me feel good then.

IMHO, these things should be prescribed for only a week before a follow-up appointment.

In my case, if I ever get into a serious injury situation, it will take a dilaudid injection to kill the pain.

got ya......ya, Oxy is more addictive than most pain killers short of morphine though if it is for cancer pain and it is terminal, I certainly don't have a problem with that....if ya took an ativan or valium every once in awhile it is no worse than booze,......everyday for any length of time can be worse than booze in those predisposed

"Hopefully you purchase the valerian "standardized" extract...they're a little more expensive but worth it"

I have the GNC "fingerprinted" valerian root caps, which just made me pull my magnifying light down to look closely for the first time. No fingerprints unless that is the horsey smell. I have the PharmAssure Melatonin 3mg tablets. There is vitamin B-6 (Pyridoxine HCL) mixed with it 3/2 and smells normal.

One of each together helps me sleep nice with some vegetable juice. Works for me! I must wake up at 4 AM and switched to tea instead of coffee. If melatonin magnifies depressive tendencies at 4AM, that's for the observer, not the observed. I have work to do. If you're standing around observing, I may make you do something.

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